


Remembering Tony

by steve_it_only_hurt_a_little_rogers



Series: Stony One Shots [9]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: I know it's late, I'm so sorry, M/M, Steve's b-day fic, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-19 20:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7376848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steve_it_only_hurt_a_little_rogers/pseuds/steve_it_only_hurt_a_little_rogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony couldn't take dealing with his failures anymore and disappears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remembering Tony

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what happened to my original plan with this but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Steve, let me in.”

Steve stirred, groaned and turned over on his back, waking up from another 2 a.m blackout binge. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand to check the time: 3 p.m. He rubbed his temples as the non stop pouring rain, his hangover headache, and Natasha’s knocking pounded throughout his head.

“Go away, Nat.”

“Not happening until you open up. You’ve been ignoring us these entire last three days.”

Steve grimaced but didn’t say anything. Three days. Three days since his world crashed down around him. Three days since Tony- nope, _NO_. He was too sober for this. He reached out to grab one of the bottles of…whatever he was drinking only to find it empty. They all were.

_Shit._

“Rogers, either you open the door or I’m picking the lock, either way I’m coming in,” Black Widow warned.

Steve sighed, ran his hands through his already messy blond hair, and got up to open his bedroom door. Natasha's face was unreadable, but her sharp green eyes only held deep concern as she took in her second best friend’s disheveled appearance and liquor bottles on the stand next to his bed. The blond was already laying back down on the bed turned away from, Natasha, who stretched out next to him and laid his head on her lap, lightly stroking his hair. 

“Do you- do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

Steve opened his mouth to say no, but then all that came out were the tears he had been holding back ever since he had seen the headline of Tony’s suicide break on the news right before, Fury, called to confirm it. He sobbed on, Natasha, for he didn’t know how long.

* * *

 

Two years after his “shocking, tragic, and untimely death”, Anthony Edward Stark rolled himself from under the car he was working on at the sound of his AI. It was the only thing he took from his former life besides the pain of leaving behind-

The engineer shook his head and addressed his only friend these days.

“What is it, J?"

“You have a customer, sir."

Tony stood up with great confusion etched into his face. Maybe he was in here longer than he thought again and it was actually time for the shop to be open. The former owner of Stark Industries looked outside to see that it was pitch black and raining. The dead of night. Tony huffed and attempted clean himself up. He should've expected this at some point since he's the only mechanic for miles.

“Well, who is it JARVIS? It's impolite to keep guests waiting," Tony teased.

“You live off of being rude, sir and it's Captain Rogers."

“You know what, J- wait who?"

“Captain Steve Rogers, sir."

The AI pulled up the camera to the tiny reception area attached to the garage and Tony's world stopped. Their was no mistaking that soaking wet, but neatly trimmed blond hair, strong jaw, soft full lips, and the worry line between those piercing blue eyes. It was definitely Steven Grant Rogers.

Tony stared at the wall screen for a minute more. Somehow in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere Pennsylvania, he just had to stumble upon Tony's shop just to remind the inventor that he can't run away from _anything._

“What does he need?" Tony gasped out finally.

“He was on his way back to New York when his tires 'blew out' on his motorcycle a quarter mile back."

“And he needs the closest mechanic that _has_ to be me."

Tony rubbed his eyes thinking about the pros and cons of helping his ex-lover out. If he didn't, Steve, would wait out the rain till morning or even more likely, come around to the garage and knock until someone answered. If he just sucked it up and did it with his face well hidden of course, Steve, would be on his way and their paths would never cross again, leaving, Tony, to die of heartaches and heartbreak and gin made of-he really needs to stop listening to Steve's pop trash.

“Tell him I'm coming."

* * *

 

Steve Rogers sighed out a thanks to the strange looking man at the front desk for telling him the owner of the shop is on his way. The Captain couldn't put his finger on it, but something about the man was a little...synthetic. His skin was too perfectly tanned, his movements too precise, just the right amount of time in between blinks....

 _“The owner was nice to entertain the thought of helping you in the dead of night, no need to start criticizing his workers_ ," Steve scolded himself.

The supersoldier sat down in one of the cushioned chairs to wait. 

He sighed again and hit the back of his head on the wall behind him. Of course, when the first time in a year he goes out for some fun with other people, his bike tires blow while he's going eighty on the straightest part of the highway.

“Captain Rogers?"

Steve perked up at the sound of another male voice. His clean shaven face was mostly covered by the large dark sunglasses he was wearing and his hair was hidden underneath a dark blue base ball cap labeled “Ed's Auto". The Captain knew he should be suspicious of someone working so hard to ward off any sort of facial recognition, but instead he felt immediately at ease. He held out his hand which the man took.

“Ed, I presume?" Steve nodded.

“I don't see anyone else still here at ass o'clock," Ed confirmed, “Well, except you. Justice never sleeps, I guess."

“Well, when guys like Red Skull are always going around terrorizing people-."

“He has a red skull face, Blondie. His options are limited.

Steve, laughed at Ed's jab and the nickname that he hasn't heard in two years. It was the first laugh that's felt genuine in a long time...Steve mentally slapped himself. He came here to get his bike fixed, not flirt with the funny mechanic that's in no way interested in him.

“You gonna let go of my hand, Cap? Cause there's a standing fee."

Steve looked down to see that both his hands were still firmly wrapped around Ed's. He quickly let go with an involuntary blush and stammered apology, secretly mourning the loss of its strong warmth. Ed dismissed it with a wave of his hand and moved to- wait was he blushing too? It was just the tips of his ears, but they were an obvious pink. 

The Captain felt himself smirk slightly at the effect he had on the mechanic. Well, the team did keep telling him to put himself back in the game. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

 

This was an awful, terrible, no good, very bad idea. He was falling in love all over again and he added it to the list of things he hated it himself for, but could you blame him? The man was as perfect now as he was when they first met five years ago.

Steve insisted on bringing his bike into the garage by himself so, Tony-er Ed, wouldn't get soaking wet. That resulted in the former Avenger trying to unsuccessfully ignore how hot the Captain looked with his dark blue t-shirt clinging to his well built body, water streams slowly running over his bulging arms like they knew they were tracing sin personified, and the slick back to stop water going down his face from his bleached from sun hair. Even worse, he was starting to realize that, Steve, knew the effect he was having on him.

He stood a little _too_ close when, Tony, was explaining what he had to do, and made sure the mechanic never had to do any heavy lifting so he could show off his strength.

The sneaky little shit even went so far as to ask if he could take his shirt off to wring it out, to which, Tony, gave the go ahead. He'd seen him more than shirtless plenty of times, what's the worst that could happen? Heaven. Heaven is what could happen. If it was even possible, Steve, was even more beefed up than before and it was all, Tony, could do to not climb him like a tree. 

“ _Fix bike. Kick him out_ ," Tony started repeating to himself.

The inventor was keeping a good handle on himself. He did the tires no problem with a bit of Steve's help (if he leaned against the Captain a few times when he came up close behind, he would never admit it), but he noticed some other minor problems that have a chance of giving the supersoldier down the road. What kind of mechanic would he be if he didn't fix what he saw? Besides it was dumping outside, Steve, wouldn't be leaving anytime soon anyway.

A terrible idea as, Steve, started opening up and talking about himself. 

Tony knew that he could handle thinking about how soft to the touch the supersoldier actually was and how he really knew what to do with his hands, but he couldn't handle hearing about Steve's life story all over again and not be able to hold him. He hated having to watch the love of his life, keep back tears in front of a “stranger". There was one thing that was really bothering him though.

“So what about that Tony Stark guy?" Tony asked carefully, “You were pretty vague about him considering the news a couple years back."

Steve seemed to freeze up and, Tony knew that he shouldn't have brought himself up. The Captain didn't break down or anything; he just leaned against the car behind him, blank faced and distant. Tony immediately tried to back track.

“Sorry, he was your teammate. You probably don't-."

“He was much more important than that!"

Tony recoiled a bit at the fire in Steve's eyes as the supersoldier's head snapped up. 

After a second, Steve, sat down on the ground and put his head on his knees. Tony slowly walked over and sat down next to his partner. How much damage had his stunt actually caused?

“We were having so much fun, he looked so happy and I was over the moon that he was finally paying that kinda attention to me in a serious way, that I let him tug on my hand with that stupid smirk, and lead me upstairs to my room."

Steve scoffed and, Tony, shifted uncomfortably. He knew he shouldn't have lead the Captain on like that, but he had to know what it felt like to be with him at least once. It was one of the best decisions of his life.

"I woke up to an empty bed," Steve went on, “He was always a one and done type. For that one night I had deluded myself into thinking that maybe I'd be the exception, but I couldn't find him anywhere and neither could anyone else."

Tony swallowed hard as, Steve, tried to find the will to finish his story. The inventor knew where he was when everyone was looking for him. On his way out of town after setting up his “suicide".

“I looked for him everywhere and called everyone who he ever talked to, but I didn't know what actually happened till the news story broke! I found out over the _news,_ Ed!"

Steve broke down at that point and, Tony, put his arms around him. Steve accepted the comfort and, Tony, mentally beat himself up for being so stupid, for thinking so selfishly. Of course it hadn't felt like that at the time, but hindsight is always 20/20 or some bullshit like that.

“M-m-m-my baby was g-gone! My Tony's dead and I couldn't save him!" Steve cried, “W-what's the point of being a superhero if I couldn't save my baby?"

“You can't save someone from themself, Steve," Tony said quietly.

Steve looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows. Tony sighed and ran a hand through Steve's still damp hair, looking deep into those blue eyes that made him want to stay so much that he knew he had to cut off their relationship before it even started.

He convinced himself that dying was better for everyone. He couldn't put everyone in danger, he couldn't disappoint them. He could save, Steve, the pain of loving a colossal waste of space like him. But just as he slipped out of Steve's room that amazing night two years ago, just as he was about to do it, pull the trigger and be done with it, he saw the Captain's eyes and he couldn't do it. He couldn't have, Steve, find him like that.

But he couldn't keep fucking up everyone's lives too. They would never stop looking for him if he just disappeared though. 

Tony shook himself out of his memories and elaborated on his statement.

“By the sound of this guy, he was a time bomb. All the rumors, tabloids, and news about him? That was definitely a guy who thought he was the worst so he acted like he was the best."

Tony broke eye contact, closed his eyes, and sighed again, letting go of the Captain to hit his head lightly against the car behind him.

“But no one can act forever," he mumbled, “The show's gotta end at some point."

Tony felt a warm hand on his thigh and opened his eyes to see, Steve, analyzing him suspiciously. The engineer felt a bit of panic that maybe he's said too much. He also felt a small spark of hope that, Steve, was on to him. Maybe it was time for the prodigal son to come home. Again.

“Why didn't he just talk to me then?" the Captain asked.

Tony smiled weakly and shrugged.

“A perfect boy with a perfect life? Nobody ever wants to hear someone like him sing about tragedy, Blondie."

“I do. If it would make him come back to me, I'd listen to the same song ever day for the rest of my life," Steve whispered.

Steve's grip on his leg tightened as they turned to be chest to chest. The emotions in Steve's eyes were so intense, Tony, felt himself melting. His breath hitched. 

“Even though he's done something so terrible? Even though he didn't call because he was so terrified of your reaction that he couldn't speak?" Tony asked.

“Well, I expect that of him. He's pulled some pretty stupid things that to this day he hasn't told me about," Steve laughed.

“What if he stayed away because he doesn't believe in love, but didn't want to subject you to that?"

Steve stopped laughing. He slowly reached out for Tony's sunglasses and hat and started to take them off. The inventor did nothing to stop him. He was done running.

The Captain's eyes softened up an impossible amount as he finally saw Tony's brown doe like ones for the first time in two years. Steve put a hand on his cheek.

“I'm determined to call his bluff, because I know he feels the same butterflies I do whenever we're around each other."

Tony shook his head and unsuccessfully swallowed back tears. Steve didn't even try. They both leaned in close until their lips were ghosting each other's.

“You're an idiot, Shellhead," Steve laughed.

“I know you are, butmmmm......" 

* * *

 

Steve stirred, groaned and turned over on his back. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand to check the time: 3 p.m. The Captain snorted and shook his head. All the money they spent and most of the time they were in bed till late afternoon. He smirked thinking about how they use all that time though. So worth it.

Steve turned and peppered the man laying in his arms' face with kisses until he woke too with a scowl before snuggling into Steve's chest. He tried to supress a laugh from the tickle of Tony's signature facial hair.

“Too early," Iron Man whined.

“It's almost evening again!"

“Okay, wake me up when the sun is gone."

“Stark..."

Tony got up with the dramatic flourish that the supersoldier fell so hard for and started for the bathroom. Steve laughed and got up to follow him. He wrapped his arms around his equal in command and intertwined left hands together so he could watch their new wedding rings clink against each other. Tony gave him a long, sweet kiss. When they broke apart, Steve, nuzzled his nose.

“I love you, Tony."

“I love you too, Blondie."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at: steve-it-hurt-a-little-rogers.tumblr.com


End file.
